The Proposal
by Eva1
Summary: A Marguerite and Roxton Love Story


THE PROPOSAL

By Eva 

Roxton and Marguerite had been foraging the jungle for food supplies a couple of hours when they both spotted the wild boar frantically attempting to untangle his body from a clump of vines and brush. When the trapped animal saw the two approaching hunters were threatening him, he became more determined than ever to free himself, and when at last he broke free from his captivity, charged his nearest threat… Roxton.

Before the trapped animal broke free, Roxton had turned his thoughts to Marguerite's safety turning to shout a warning, not realizing he was soon to become the beast's prey instead of the other way around. When Marguerite realized John was in harm's way, she screamed her own warning, brought her rifle to its correct position and fired at the charging animal. The shot was clear and true and hit its target with a hard slam to the boar's neck. Roxton had managed to turn around just in time to see the beast coming at him, and had also raised his rifle and fired. 

As Marguerite came running toward her latest achievement, she shouted, "Did you see that???…One shot!!" 

"Yeah, glad I was able to get that shot off when I did", replied a relived Roxton.

"**_WHAT!?_** Are you saying **_your_** shot dropped him." Marguerite's voice raised an octave with each statement. "Are you **_blind_** as well as **_stupid?_**. You didn't even know it was charging you. It was **_my_** shot that killed him!"

"Now Marguerite, I know you're a good shot, but you were way too far away to make that one." Roxton said sarcastically.

"Well, that's just **_great_**! I save your hide and this is the thanks I get. Roxton, you are the most bull headed person I've ever met. And that inflated ego of yours only matches your overblown conceit!"

"Marguerite, the shot was **_mine_**. I'm not going to argue with you on this one,", he said as he proceeded to sling the dead animal's body over his shoulder.

"Well, that's a **_first_**! You're always arguing with me about something. Like you're the only one with an opinion on anything."

Their trek back to the treehouse was a silent one, except for…."Are you coming.?"…or…"Hurry up. We don't want this pig ruining before we have a chance to cook it." Or, Roxton saying crossly when Marguerite stumbled against a low branch, "Didn't you see that tree right in front of your eyes…are you **_that clumsy_**?!"

Both were relieved when they saw the treehouse in front of them, knowing they would soon be out of each other's company. Veronica and Ned were a welcome sight; however, neither Roxton nor Marguerite returned their cheerful greeting.

"Uh, oh! I think we're in for another night of it. Wonder what set them off this time?" Ned remarked to Veronica.

"Who knows! Those two don't need a good reason to go at each other. Let's just hope they don't resort to throwing things again."

"Remember the last time they went out hunting and came back so mad at each other? What was it that time??? Oh, yes! Roxton claimed Marguerite hit him with the butt of her rifle 'to teach him a lesson for making her miss a shot', and Marguerite claimed she accidentally dropped it when she tripped over a tree stump and 'unfortunately' Roxton just happened to be there to break her fall."

"Oh, yeah I remember…. that bruise on Johns leg was a beauty."

"It seems the only time we can count on getting a good night's sleep is when they decide to spend a few nights away from the treehouse while hunting for food. Too bad they're back so soon!" Veronica lamented.

At the treehouse, Roxton was glad to unburden the weight of the dead animal he had been carrying, as well as the company of the most definitely **_alive_** one accompanying him through the jungle that day. 

Challenger was delighted at the prospect of barbequing the wild boar that Roxton and Marguerite had brought home, hoping in silence the group wouldn't have to suffer the torrent of insults that usually accompanied these hunting trips. Before the meal was over, however, Challenger was forced to act into his usual role as a referee for the two. As always, when they were both trying to get the upper hand with each other, the verbal abuse was abundant in a way that only Roxton and Marguerite were capable of generating. When Challenger said, "You two are driving everyone to distraction. This fighting **_must_** stop! If only for the reason that we all would like enjoy a quiet evening in the treehouse for a change."

Both were remorseful at this remark, bowing their heads with cast down eyes, but their brief silence was short-lived, when Roxton shot off a final "last word" insult to Marguerite.

"Well we all know it's usually her highness that starts the argument. **_Always _**has to be right, **_always_** has to have the last word, **_always_** has to be the star of every….."

"**ENOUGH**!!!!" screamed Challenger. "Both of you - **_NOW _**- turn away from each other. New rule of the house…!..you're not to be in the same room together for at least a week, until you both have time to think about what you're doing to yourselves and each other, not to mention the rest of the group. Honestly, you're both acting like spoiled children."

With that Marguerite gave a resounding "**_OOOHHHH!_**!", stormed to her room slamming the door behind her. Roxton, not be outdone, did the same.

Ned and Veronica stood there speechless mostly from Challenger's outburst, but also because of the noise accompanying the slamming of their respective doors. There had been other quarrels between the two, but this was the worst. The reverberations from the door slammings had shaken items off shelves in the kitchen, as well as in Challenger's lab downstairs. Well, at least it was quiet now and hopefully, it would remain that way - even if it was just for one night.

Several hours later when the treehouse was indeed at last silent, Roxton had time to cool down and think about the events of the day. He honestly didn't like arguing with Marguerite, but she always seemed to provoke him into it. She had a remark to make about everything and usually a critical one. It was as though she wasn't capable of keeping silent, even when she knew she was wrong. 

But right or wrong, there were buried emotions in his heart he hadn't yet admitted fully even to himself. Emotions that only Marguerite would be able to extract from the dark corners of his mind and heart. Why couldn't she realize he only wanted to protect her from whatever dangers lurked in this lost world jungle, or for that matter, any other world they might occupy together?

His thoughts impelled his body to move toward Marguerite's room in an effort to apologize for the day's latest quarrel. As he neared her room, he thought he heard crying. Granted the sound was soft, but definitely coming from her room. Roxton wasn't sure if he should disturb the woman crying on the other side of the door, but he had come this far and now was not the time to turn back. He knocked softly on the door, and hesitantly said, "Marguerite, can I come in?"

The crying stopped abruptly and he heard her respond, "Not if you're going to call me names again."

With that promising response he slowly opened the door and walked to the bed where Marguerite was sitting up hugging her pillow as though it were her only friend in the world. 

" I promise I won't be mean to you this time. Especially not after Challenger's reprimand. I just want to talk about us."

"What about us?"

"Marguerite, you are the most stunning beauty I've ever known, but you can also be the most maddening woman….."

"You promised not to call me names!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't going to call you hurtful names. I just want you to know what kind of effect you have on me. When I'm with you, there are emotions going on in my heart that even I don't understand. The world only seems to come alive when you're in the same room, but I also know before long we'll be at each other's throats. This isn't right, Marguerite and it has to stop."

Marguerite's heart slumped at this last statement. Was he going to tell her they had to stop being alone? That there was no chance for the two of them becoming more than travelling companions. Surely, he couldn't be ready to end whatever relationship foundations that had formed up to this point.

She opened her mouth to respond with any kind of remark that would convince him she had no intentions toward him except that of someone she shared a common living quarters with. 

Before the words could come out, Roxton touched his fingers to her mouth…and said, "I'm not finished. Let me get this out while I have the courage, Marguerite. I love you and need you with me. I want us to find a way to be together. It may not be easy, but there has to be a way. You and I have been cut from the same cloth… we share the same appetite for life and there's no reason why we shouldn't be…."

Before Roxton could finish these last words, a relieved Marguerite had slipped one arm around Roxton's waist while caressing his face with the other, pulling his lips down to meet hers. When they met, both were quivering with the anticipation of expressing their love for each other, the love that had been pent up inside them for so long.

However, before they could fulfill their desires, Roxton pulled the pillow away from Marguerite and whispered, "I want no barriers between us tonight."

The words were flowing from both by this time, loving words, words of desire, whispers that were meant only for the other to hear. Roxton couldn't believe how well this night was turning out. Why had he never tried apologizing **_first _** before? Was that the way to Marguerite's heart? Give in, even though he knew he was usually in the right. Most of the women in Roxton's past had been so compliant, never demanding apologies, never demanding any more than his company. 

But this woman in his arms, now promising to fulfill the emotions and desires he had felt since the first day they met, she was different. A challenge, an enigma, a mystery to be solved, how could one woman possess so many desirable traits. This woman was changing how he thought about his future. Should he ask her to marry him, to be his wife, to be his Lady of the manor? He was sure of one thing; he would never feel this way about any other woman.

Marguerite was sure of how she felt, but not that sure what was going through Roxton's mind. Was he sincere in not wanting to fight with her any more, and were the desires that were now promising to be fulfilled, be just for one night or was there a future for them?

Roxton's body was so close at this point, she could feel his warm breath on the curve of her neck, whispering he loved her, he wanted her, he needed her love.

Marguerite's first impulse was to pull away, not sure if she was surrendering too soon. After all, she knew most men enjoyed the chase more than the conquest. She had experienced this all too often in her first encounters with the opposite sex. In the past, she had been hurt badly by those types of men who would say anything to obtain a woman's downfall. And had had vowed never to let anyone hurt her like that again. 

But now… tonight… this man in her arms was different. Could she trust his words? She knew no other man had ever stirred these strong emotions before. She wanted to run, but also wanted very much to stay. 

When their passion was at it's peak, Marguerite felt tears spill from her eyes. She had shared passion with many men in her past, but no one had ever evoked tears. This had to be **_right_**.

Later, as they lay in each other's arms, Roxton carefully began to voice his plans for their future. Carefully, because he still felt the need to be cautious about opening up to this beauty whose head was now gently laying on his chest. 

"Marguerite, I haven't had much practice at this, but I'm willing to make an honest woman of you and marry you." He thought it might ease the moment to make a joke. However, Marguerite, already unsure if she had surrendered too soon, slowly raised her head up to face Roxton. When she saw that familiar mischievous look on his face, she asked "John, are you proposing ?" 

"Well yes, I thought that was obvious."

Roxton didn't fully realized until too late, that perhaps he shouldn't have made a joke about marriage…"make an honest woman of you"…while proposing to the love of his life. But in truth, he hadn't had much experience in marriage proposals. All the women in his life had usually been brief encounters, or women just seeking to marry him for his title and fortune and on a few occasions, affairs with married women. Perhaps Marguerite had experienced the same kind of false love and this had not been the right tactic to assure her of his love.

By this time, Marguerite was standing over Roxton with feet firmly planted on the floor, making broad gestures while wrapping her night robe around her naked body, which minutes before had brought so much pleasure to the man now sitting up in her bed.

"You call **_that_** a proposal? I've heard better ones coming from the ape-men on this plateau. And, you can't be serious with that remark that you want to make an honest woman of me. No "I love you"? no ring?, no bended knee? I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth!! How could I have been **_so stupid_**! I really want you out of here **_NOW. _** Go back to your own room **_NOW_**! I want you **_out_** of my room." With that Marguerite had reached the door, holding it open waiting for Roxton to leave. 

Bewildered and somewhat abashed, Roxton swiftly pulled on his pants. As he crossed the room, he made an attempt to reach out and touch her face, hoping with a caress he could keep her from spitting out anymore insults and the night could continue in the loving manner in which it had begun. Unfortunately for these two lovers, this would not be the case tonight. Marguerite's face showed that ever so clearly. Better to cut ones losses, Roxton thought, at least for the night.

As Marguerite slammed the door behind Roxton, they both thought…"**_how could this night have gone so wrong!_** " 

. 

On the way back to his room, Roxton passed Ned on a nocturnal visit to the kitchen for a glass of water. Ned, having heard Marguerite's angry words as she pushed Roxton out of her room, said "Oh no, not again. Roxton, you **_are_** a glutton for punishment."

"You know, Ned, I think you might just be right."

The rest of the night Marguerite alternated between crying into her pillow and pacing the floor, trying to determine what had gone wrong. Hadn't he said the right words at first…."I love you, I need you, I want you." What had happened later? Had she overreacted, had she been too sensitive? Hardly! No one had ever accused Marguerite of being sensitive. Should she have accepted his pathetic proposal? Or was she right to hold out for the proper kind? Maybe! And, maybe not!

When dawn broke, Marguerite had tired herself out between the pacing and the fretting over the night's events and had finally fallen into a fitful sleep.

When she arose, much later that morning, her first thought was that perhaps she had acted too hastily in tossing Roxton out of her room. While dressing, she tried to rehearse what she would say to him this morning. Better to get him alone by the pond or the windmill and test the waters, so to speak.

When she entered the great room, she didn't expect it to be deserted. But it appeared that everyone had finished breakfast as everything had been cleared away. She called out everyone's name…Roxton's several times! She checked all the bedrooms… Roxton's first! Each room was as empty as the next.

"Well, they can't have all disappeared overnight," she said as she made her way down the elevator to the bottom of the jungle floor. It was at this time, she heard voices, the voices of her companions coming from the pond area. She listened for the familiar sound of the man she had spent most of the night revealing her emotions to, but as hard as she strained was unable to detect his low, husky voice amongst the others.

About that time, Roxton appeared behind her, apparently hiding something behind his back. 

"Looking for me?"

"Now **_why_** I would be looking for you??!! You're hardly worth the effort", Marguerite replied trying to throw up the familiar defenses around her heart.

"Well then, maybe I should find another someone else to give these flowers to". 

And before Marguerite could answer, he fell to one knee, presented a bouquet of wild flowers to Marguerite with one hand and with the other hand the gold ring he had been wearing on his left hand since the beginning of the expedition. Before she could speak again, Roxton was saying the words **_she_** had hoped for the night before, and that Roxton was wishing with all his heart that **_he _**had said the night before. 

"Marguerite, would you do me the honor, the great honor, of allowing me to be your husband? I love you more than the air I breathe, and if you'll allow me I'll spend the rest of my life proving this love to you. If you say yes, you'll make me the happiest man alive." After all the words had poured from Roxton's lips, he turned his face slightly to the side and said with that boyish grin that only belonged to Roxton, "Was that a decent enough proposal, my love?"

For probably the first time in her life Marguerite was speechless, staring with widened eyes at the man before her. Before Roxton could stand up, Marguerite lowered herself to her knees in front of Roxton, slid her arms around his neck, and managed to whisper the only words that were filling her heart, which were the only words Roxton wanted to hear…"Yes John, I'll marry you."

The rest of the group had moved closer to the two to witness this historic event that was about to take place on the plateau, and when Marguerite gave John her answer, they broke into a spontaneous cheer. Challenger spoke up with "Well, it's **_about_** time. I thought those two would never admit their feelings to each other!"

Veronica, replied "Maybe now we can all enjoy some peace and quiet." 

Ned, always the realist, said, "Don't count on it. I think we all know those two aren't happy unless they're arguing with each other."

Challenger put closure to the scene with "Yes, but we also know how much they like the making up part". 

. 

……

The next morning, as the phonograph began playing a chosen piece by Chopin, Marguerite opened the door of her bedroom and emerged wearing a borrowed dress from Veronica's mother's closet, in a pale shade of pink satin with fragile lace trim around the neck and sleeves. Her hair was down and flowing with long soft curls surrounding her face, just as Roxton had asked her the night before to wear it for him for their wedding day. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears of happiness, and the smile on her face had never warmed Roxton more than it did today.

As she walked to the front of the room where Roxton stood waiting for her, her groom-to-be beamed with pride, love and relief that he was finally marrying the woman he had spent his entire life looking for. His heart was pounding with the realization that they would soon be saying vows to each other that would bind them together forever, with or without a proper sanctification of the church. There would be time enough for that when, or if, they ever returned to London.

As Marguerite reached the "alter", she turned to face Roxton and he her, as Challenger began the familiar words, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together to witness the enjoining of our two friends. In lieu of a priest, they will speak their own vows, in their own words, from the depths of their hearts". 

Roxton began with, "Marguerite, I've been searching for you all my life. It's amazing it took a journey half way around the world to bring you to me. But now that I've found you, I'll never let you go. I love you more with each new day. My life only began for me when I met you. We all know what a battleground we've made of our new surroundings with our quarrelling, but that's all in the past. At least, I hope most of it's in the past!!!" 

Nervous giggling could be heard from the members of the 'wedding party' at this remark. All knew that even though Roxton and Marguerite had finally made peace with their mutual admittance of their love, they was little doubt with the tempers of these two, there would never be a complete peace between them.

Roxton continued, "Marguerite, I promise to love you, cherish you and protect you for the rest of our lives and will always remain faithful and loyal to our love."

During Roxton's vows, Marguerite's eyes were filled with tears at hearing the words she had thought she would never hear from anyone. Certainly, no one in her past had ever made such a complete declaration of their love for her.

As she began her vows, Roxton moved his hands up her arms and held them caressingly as though he was holding the most precious jewel in the world, and in his heart he was.

"Roxton, I know I haven't made life easy for you, or for that matter anyone else here on the plateau. And I never thought I would meet anyone I could openly admit I loved. I know you don't know much about my past, but let's just say all my wants were met, but not my needs. I've needed someone's love and dreamed of meeting someone like you, but wasn't sure how I would react. But the first time I saw you in London, I knew I had met the man who would finally show me that loving someone was a way to happiness. You've brought me that happiness and now I know that feeling will be with me for the rest of my life."

"Roxton, I promise to love you, cherish you and protect you from anything that might bring you harm. And, I swear that I will always remain faithful and loyal to you and our love."

With this, the two lovers turned to Challenger ready for the words that would keep them together for the rest of their lives, whether here in this lost world or anywhere else in the world.

Challenger, spoke the words with a softness and tenderness in his voice, " And, with their vows to each other **_finally_** spoken, I, with all the authority I have, now pronounce you husband and wife. John, you may kiss your bride."

With these words, John and Marguerite moved slowly toward each other and with Roxton placing both hands through Marguerite's hair, and Marguerite gently caressing Roxton's face, their lips met in one glorious declaration of their undying love for each other. 

….and true to their vows, Marguerite and John lived happily ever after.

THE END


End file.
